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I'm pretty new to proper cigars an' wi' a lot to learn, an' just thought I'd like to say hello first.
For years I smoked Hamlet or Cafe Cream, a poor habit broken by the opening of an in-walking-distance Waitrose where on a whim I bought my first pack of Cohiba Mini. Call it a life changing moment resulting in my supermarket visits becoming a regular event. Then a month or two ago and proberbly because I was wearing my glasses, I noticed they also sold Cuban Tubos. Well I bought one of each. Upman, Montecristo, Punch and Romeo 2. OK, that dosn't make me a proper Affectionado, but it did set me about looking for what else was available locally. The answer being Jack Zilch!
So, off online I went. I've used several UK suppliers, mostly for samplers and singles thinking that would be the smart way to discover my 'preferred taste' so to speak. (But, which has sort of back-fired because every supplier advocates a little ageing before smoking to bring out the best in the smoke. And now, thank you Amazon, I'm nicely kitted-up with an [at last] fully functioning Adorini sitting on my desk.)
UK supplier prices I've noticed are in general pretty much of a much. The cost of delivery on the other hand can be chalk and cheese! Although in saying I will say one UK supplier stands a good head above the rest in terms of price, sensible delivery and notification (and for not charging for empty cigar boxes), but even he, though his stock choice is far greater can't come anywhere near matching Waitrose prices or Asda on the one or two tubos they stock.
So what am I up to today, apart from looking at a black box loaded wi' some of Havana's finest, totally undecided as to where to start or how much maturin' I really want to give 'em! Well, for better or worse I've decided to buy some La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.1's, they look about right for me and Cigars Review really rates them. Though, there seems to be a bit of a shortage here in the UK. Which brings me to what is I guess both a Thank You Guys and an apology. For some weeks, un-noticed and proberbly un-welcome I've been reading some of your personal experiences of overseas online buying. HM Cutters apart, reports of fakes, siphoned Credit Cards and non-deliveries all sound a little daunting. I think I've decided on who to use, but based only on what you Guy's will most likely consider as two stupid and highly misinformed observations.
1. Anyone who dosn't sell Davidoff or Dunhill is suspect. a) because Cuban cigars or not apart, from a 'high-end' retail tobacconist perspective, not to stock thoes sought after premium brands means missing out on the financial returns and cudos they impart. A 'pukka' high-ender isn't likely to not stock one of them. b) Davidoff and Dunhill have big International reputations to consider, they don't sell to just anybody! 2). Conniticut ShadeGrown is unique and massively wasteful and expensive to produce, with almost every leaf accounted for by ligitimate production. Anyone attempting to fake Daivdoff, Dunhill or Cuesta-Rey for example will have a pretty tough job. a) because ligit ShadeGrown is well-nigh impossible to obtain. b) no amount chemical processing, bleaching or dyeing is going to produce a cheap, (counterfeiters don't do expensive) passable fake SunGrown.
Anyway, thoes are my observations to date. The only other thing, which dosn't quite rate in the same worry league but which always starts me thinking is why if an outlet is totally ligitimate do they have to 'bang-on' and tell me they are?
So, Hello again, thanks for having me and double thanks to anyone who took the time to read down this far. I notice one or two members have a little tag line to go with their posts. Here's mine, I'd like to claim authorship but really it's Napoleon Bonapart.
Si vous le souhaitez, vous pouvez. Et, si vous le pouvez, vous le faut!
(If you want to, you can. And, if you can, you must!) .... or something like.
Tippexx
For years I smoked Hamlet or Cafe Cream, a poor habit broken by the opening of an in-walking-distance Waitrose where on a whim I bought my first pack of Cohiba Mini. Call it a life changing moment resulting in my supermarket visits becoming a regular event. Then a month or two ago and proberbly because I was wearing my glasses, I noticed they also sold Cuban Tubos. Well I bought one of each. Upman, Montecristo, Punch and Romeo 2. OK, that dosn't make me a proper Affectionado, but it did set me about looking for what else was available locally. The answer being Jack Zilch!
So, off online I went. I've used several UK suppliers, mostly for samplers and singles thinking that would be the smart way to discover my 'preferred taste' so to speak. (But, which has sort of back-fired because every supplier advocates a little ageing before smoking to bring out the best in the smoke. And now, thank you Amazon, I'm nicely kitted-up with an [at last] fully functioning Adorini sitting on my desk.)
UK supplier prices I've noticed are in general pretty much of a much. The cost of delivery on the other hand can be chalk and cheese! Although in saying I will say one UK supplier stands a good head above the rest in terms of price, sensible delivery and notification (and for not charging for empty cigar boxes), but even he, though his stock choice is far greater can't come anywhere near matching Waitrose prices or Asda on the one or two tubos they stock.
So what am I up to today, apart from looking at a black box loaded wi' some of Havana's finest, totally undecided as to where to start or how much maturin' I really want to give 'em! Well, for better or worse I've decided to buy some La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.1's, they look about right for me and Cigars Review really rates them. Though, there seems to be a bit of a shortage here in the UK. Which brings me to what is I guess both a Thank You Guys and an apology. For some weeks, un-noticed and proberbly un-welcome I've been reading some of your personal experiences of overseas online buying. HM Cutters apart, reports of fakes, siphoned Credit Cards and non-deliveries all sound a little daunting. I think I've decided on who to use, but based only on what you Guy's will most likely consider as two stupid and highly misinformed observations.
1. Anyone who dosn't sell Davidoff or Dunhill is suspect. a) because Cuban cigars or not apart, from a 'high-end' retail tobacconist perspective, not to stock thoes sought after premium brands means missing out on the financial returns and cudos they impart. A 'pukka' high-ender isn't likely to not stock one of them. b) Davidoff and Dunhill have big International reputations to consider, they don't sell to just anybody! 2). Conniticut ShadeGrown is unique and massively wasteful and expensive to produce, with almost every leaf accounted for by ligitimate production. Anyone attempting to fake Daivdoff, Dunhill or Cuesta-Rey for example will have a pretty tough job. a) because ligit ShadeGrown is well-nigh impossible to obtain. b) no amount chemical processing, bleaching or dyeing is going to produce a cheap, (counterfeiters don't do expensive) passable fake SunGrown.
Anyway, thoes are my observations to date. The only other thing, which dosn't quite rate in the same worry league but which always starts me thinking is why if an outlet is totally ligitimate do they have to 'bang-on' and tell me they are?
So, Hello again, thanks for having me and double thanks to anyone who took the time to read down this far. I notice one or two members have a little tag line to go with their posts. Here's mine, I'd like to claim authorship but really it's Napoleon Bonapart.
Si vous le souhaitez, vous pouvez. Et, si vous le pouvez, vous le faut!
(If you want to, you can. And, if you can, you must!) .... or something like.
Tippexx
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